


I'd Love To Know Just What You're Thinking

by orphan_account



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Co-workers, Diners, F/F, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, Love Confessions, Paperwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 13:23:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8329486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The reader and Reid have made it a habit to do their paperwork together at a local diner. But when Spencer starts acting distant the reader tries figure out what's going on and is pleasantly surprised by the answer.





	

“Spence?” You were seated across from your coworker in a little diner, two cups of coffee in the middle of the table and a plate of doughnut hole crumbs at the edge. Papers were spread all over the table, a short stack of files sitting next to the mini gum machine that sat near the window next to the booth. 

He looked up from where he’d zoned out, “Hm?” He picked up the paper in front of him and ran his finger down the page before flipping it over, setting it aside and moving on to the one underneath. 

“You kinda spaced out there, what’s on your mind that’s not on this table?” You picked up your coffee and took a sip, the warmth soothing you while the caffeine shook you awake. 

“Oh,” Spencer kept his eyes on the papers, setting aside three before you were even through one, “Nothing don’t worry about it.” He also reached for his coffee and situated it against his lips, blowing on the honey brown surface before swallowing down half of the cup. 

You picked up your pen and twiddled it between your fingers, staring him down for a moment, waiting for him to meet your eyes and reveal what was rattling around in his brain. 

When he didn’t, you started tapping the pen on your pile of papers. Almost instantly you noticed Spencer’s brow furrow as he tried to ignore the sound, he pressed his lips together and squinted his eyes. His reading slowed, and finally he looked up at you, a loud sigh escaping his lips before he spoke, “Please stop.” 

“No, c’mon, tell me what you were thinking about. You’ve done that weird zoning out thing the last two times we’ve come here to do paperwork. It’s uncharacteristic of you.” You continued tapping the pen, leaning slightly forward towards Spencer with your eyes narrowed on his. 

Spencer shook his head and looked back down to his papers, his gaze flicking over to the pen every couple of seconds as you kept on tapping. His hand shot over to cover yours after so long, barring the annoyance, “Stop.” He took his hand away just as quickly as he’d placed it there, and you were taken aback. 

“Jeez, sorry, Spence. Really, what’s up with you?” You rolled the pen away and leaned forward against the table with your arms folded atop each other. Your gaze kept on Spencer, his eyes barely meeting yours for more than a second before he’d look back down. The usual pout on his lips was more deliberate tonight, and he was barely speaking. A minute or two passed without him saying a word and you pressed on, “The longer you ignore me the longer it’s gonna take me to get through this paperwork.” 

“I’ll do your paperwork. You can go home, get some rest.” His voice was laced with genuity, though overwhelmed by passive aggression. You plopped back against the booth, staring in disbelief. 

“Spencer, what have I done so differently these last two paperwork dates that’s making you like this?” You thumbed the edge of your stack of papers, gaze finally breaking away from his face. But his head shot up. 

“What?” He questioned, blinking hard and taking a deep breath. “Paperwork what?” 

You hesitated, “Paperwork...dates? I didn’t mean like-” You cleared your throat, afraid that you’d made him uncomfortable, “That was just the first phrase that came to mind I’m sorry if-sorry.” You took a quick swig of your coffee. 

“Oh.” He looked back down to his paper, expressions hardly shifting. 

You studied him for a moment, watched as he scrawled something on the paper in front of him and then subconsciously began tapping it against the edge of the page. You watched his eyes glide down the words of one paragraph, then back up to start the same paragraph over. And over. He read it three times before he could continue on, and he shook his head slightly when he moved on. 

“You want these to be dates.” You murmured, mostly to yourself, but loud enough that Spencer caught your words. 

“What? No I don’t.” He put down his paper and gripped tighter to his pen, eyes frantic as he looked at you, the faintest smile sitting at the corners of his lips, trying to play this off. 

 

“Yes.” You said, and a little louder, “Yes. You do. That’s why you can’t focus on the paper, it’s why you were scanning the same paragraph over, why you’re zoning out and failing to stretch out your cups of coffee. It’s why you haven’t been looking at me, normally, we can talk as we work but lately...yes. That’s exactly it.” You stared at him, the start of a smile working its way into your agape expression. 

The same frantic expression stood on Spencer’s face for a moment more before shifting to one of embarrassment, his cheeks flushing a light red, a smile pressed on his lips as he scoffed. “I-” His voice quieted, “I wouldn’t mind it.” 

You just watched him, and he went off, “It’s not uncommon for situations like these to turn non platonic. We’re-we’re two close, single people who have a standing tradition like this and it’s normal to start associating pleasant things - like this coffee and those doughnut holes, even this paperwork - with...with the person you’re around when you experience them.” He looked at you, waiting for you to say something in response to his intellectual observation. 

“Keep going.” You breathed out, eyes sparkling with his kind words. 

He tilted his head, reading you to be sure of your sincerity.

When he was, he leaned towards you, resting against his folded arms on the table, “It became easy to associate the cool night air with your lips. When I walked you home, the rush of the wind carried the scent of your hair, and the streetlights were a backdrop to your laugh, your smile. After awhile, I wasn’t sure whether your eyes made me happy because they reminded me of the stars, or if the stars made me happy because they reminded me of your eyes. Following all that, of course I’d want these to be real dates one day.” 

You felt yourself melting at his words, “Spence…” You reached towards his arm and played with the folds in the soft fabric of his jacket, “It is getting pretty late. We should go.” 

Spencer shifted his hand and ran his fingertips along your knuckles. His eyes met yours and a gentleness crossed all his features, lips turning up into a smile. 

“I’ll walk you home.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a little spur of the moment thing that I wrote! I'd definitely be down for writing a part two about their walk home if requested! :)


End file.
